Supporting Young People

posted on November 26, 2012

It seems like everyone under the sun wants to give to young people. But if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us don’t do much at all. We may believe in education and the youth and all that, but we don’t actually do anything.

These young people are awesome, and I really want you to get to know them. Here’s how.

Reality: We should all be supporting our young people. They are our future. [Tweet This]

There’s an opportunity coming up this Thursday that is big, and it involves me, my family, about 80 suited-up teenagers and about the same number of adult volunteers. It’s the Monumentum Debate Tournament in Colorado Springs, and because I’m running the event, you now have my personal invitation to attend.

Either you live driving distance or you don’t, but there are ways you can help. I can honestly say without hesitation that you will be richly blessed. Here’s how.

Close enough to attend?

We have the tournament staffed with homeschool moms and dads, but we need judges for the rounds. It’s a fascinating experience to watch a round or two of debates. You may think you’re not qualified, but you are. No prior experience in academic debate is needed, and we will give you a 1/2 hour orientation to prepare you. Here’s a rundown of how it’s done:

You’ll go to a room where the debaters are respectfully ready to convince you of the resolution.

You will listen to the debate and follow the instructions on how to tally a decision.

After the round, you’ll go back to the judges area and fill out your ballot as you enjoy some free refreshments.

This is, at minimum, a two-hour commitment. You’ll be breathing life into these young people with your ballot’s encouragements and critiques. Seriously, you will love it!

Too far to attend?

We have judges traveling several hours to attend, I kid you not. But most people reading this blog are not able to attend. You may believe wholeheartedly in what we’re doing with this tournament, but you are feasibly unable to help.

Oh yes you can. The ministry that is running this tournament is a 501(c)3 nonprofit ministry Training Minds Ministry. I’m the president, and I would love to have your support. I assemble the nation’s best coaches to put together curriculum and run camps to train these young minds for action (an interpretation of 1 Peter 1:13 of the Bible). We’re doing fantastic work, and I’d love for you to be a part of it with your end-of-the-year contribution.

In fact, let me emphasize: we very much NEED your help. I can’t think of a more crucial time in my lifetime where teaching kids how to think, speak and persuade can be more important. Can you? Training Minds Ministry has always run on a shoestring budget, and with the economy the way it is, it is tighter than ever.

But the stakes for our young people’s minds never go away. You can help, and I very much encourage you to do so. So, to recap with links…